Structure for coupling toothbrush head to electric toothbrush handle

ABSTRACT

This document also discloses a toothbrush head for an electric toothbrush. The head includes a base having an opening for receiving a drive shaft of an electric toothbrush. The head also includes a coupling member having a cylindrical sidewall that surrounds a cavity for receiving the drive shaft. The coupling member is disposed within the base and there is a gap between a bottom surface of the base and a bottom surface of the coupling member.

RELATED APPLICATIONS AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent document is a continuation in part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/648,327 filed Jan. 19, 2022, which claimspriority to and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/355,588 filed Jun. 23, 2021 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No.11,229,507), which claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/145,911 filed Jan. 11, 2021 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No.11,071,613), which claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/053,960, filed Jul. 20, 2020. The disclosures of eachpriority application are fully incorporated into this document byreference.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to the field of electric toothbrushes, andparticularly brush heads that are configured to couple to an electrictoothbrush handle.

Many types of electric toothbrushes use high speed vibrations of themotor inside the toothbrush handle to drive the brush head. In order tooperate the electric toothbrush, the construction of the brush headrequires that it be tightly coupled to the drive shaft of the toothbrushhandle so it can withstand the high speed vibrations from operating thetoothbrush. Many existing products, therefore, use metal or springsinside the brush head to facilitate a tight coupling to the drive shaftof the toothbrush handle. This can increase the cost of making the brushhead.

In addition, while some brush heads avoid the use of metal springs,those brush heads can sometimes have difficulty staying connected to thehandle, and/or may not offer as much vibratory effect due to a loosefit.

This patent document describes an apparatus that addresses at least someof the issues described above and/or other issues.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, this document discloses a coupling member formounting a toothbrush head to an electric toothbrush. The couplingmember includes a base having a first end with an opening for receivinga drive shaft of an electric toothbrush. The coupling member alsoincludes a coupling section that extends from a second end of the base.The coupling section comprises a cylindrical sidewall that surrounds acavity for receiving the drive shaft, and a set of teeth that extendinto the cavity from the cylindrical sidewall along a longitudinal axisof the coupling section.

Optionally, the base may include one or more mounting holes that areeach positioned to align with a corresponding mounting ridge of a stemof the toothbrush head. The coupling section may include a longitudinalridge that is positioned on the sidewall along the longitudinal axis ofthe coupling section and sized to engage with a channel inside of a stemof a toothbrush head. The cylindrical sidewall may be a closed sidewall,with no opening leading to the cavity, or it may include slits thatprovide an opening leading to the cavity, in which case a resilientspring member may be positioned between the two slits, and the teeth maybe positioned on the resilient spring member. The resilient springmember may extend all the way to the base, or an opening may existbetween the resilient spring member and the base so that the opening andslits together form a U-shape.

In a second embodiment, a coupling member for mounting a toothbrush headto an electric toothbrush includes a base having a first end with anopening for receiving a drive shaft of an electric toothbrush, alongwith a coupling section that extends from a second end of the base. Thecoupling section includes a cylindrical sidewall that surrounds a cavityfor receiving the drive shaft, an aperture in the cylindrical sidewallthat provides an opening to the cavity, and a resilient spring memberthat is sized to be positioned within the aperture and touch the driveshaft while being held by the aperture.

Optionally, in the second embodiment the resilient spring member mayinclude a base that and two sidewalls that are positioned so that, inoperation, the resilient spring member will touch the drive shaft andthe two sidewalls will touch and be held by the aperture. The distancebetween the two sidewalls of the resilient spring member when theresilient spring member is in a relaxed position may be greater than acorresponding dimension of the aperture. The base of the coupling membermay include one or more mounting holes that are each positioned to alignwith a corresponding mounting ridge of a stem of the toothbrush head.The coupling section of the coupling member may include a longitudinalridge that is positioned on the sidewall along the longitudinal axis ofthe coupling section and sized to engage with a channel inside of a stemof a toothbrush head. A set of teeth may extend into the cavity from thecylindrical sidewall along the longitudinal axis.

Other embodiments include a toothbrush head for an electric toothbrush,in which the toothbrush head includes a brush section having a pluralityof bristles attached thereon, along with a base having an opening forreceiving a drive shaft of an electric toothbrush, and a couplingmember. The coupling member can include a cylindrical sidewall thatsurrounds a cavity for receiving the drive shaft. The coupling membercan be disposed within the base, with a gap between a bottom surface ofthe base and a bottom surface of the coupling member. The couplingmember further may include a plurality of teeth disposed on an insidesurface of the cylindrical sidewall, the teeth extending into the cavityalong a longitudinal axis of the coupling member. Additionally, oralternatively, the cylindrical sidewall may include a ridge extendinginto the cavity and configured to engage with the drive shaft when thedrive shaft is inserted into the cavity. The ridge extending into thecavity can disposed on a portion of the cylindrical adjacent to adepression that is on the exterior of the coupling member.

In some embodiments, the coupling member may not extend outside of thebase. The gap may be a distance of at least 10% of a length of thecoupling member along its longitudinal axis. In other embodiments, thegap may be a distance that is between 5% and 75% of a length of thecoupling member along its longitudinal axis. The coupling member mayfurther include a mounting portion that is engaged with the base. Insome embodiments, the mounting portion of the coupling member mayinclude a circumferential ridge engaged with a circumferential groove ofthe base. In other embodiments, the mounting portion of the couplingmember may include a circumferential groove engaged with acircumferential ridge of the base.

Further embodiments can include a toothbrush head for an electrictoothbrush, the toothbrush head including a base having an opening forreceiving a drive shaft of an electric toothbrush and a coupling member.The coupling member includes a cylindrical sidewall that surrounds acavity for receiving the drive shaft, with the cylindrical sidewallhaving at least two apertures therethrough and a resilient wall betweenthe apertures. The coupling member can be disposed within the base, witha gap between a bottom surface of the base and a bottom surface of thecoupling member. The resilient wall may include a ridge extending intothe cavity and configured to engage with the drive shaft when the driveshaft is inserted into the cavity. Additionally, or alternatively, thecoupling member may include a plurality of teeth disposed on an insidesurface of the resilient wall, the teeth extending into the cavity alonga longitudinal axis of the coupling member. The coupling member may notextend outside of the base.

Optionally, in further embodiments described above, the toothbrush headmay include a spring that is positioned to, when in operation, transfervibration from the drive shaft to the toothbrush head while being heldby the at least one aperture. The spring may be positioned within atleast one of the apertures. The gap between a bottom surface of the baseand a bottom surface of the coupling member may be a distance of atleast 10% of a length of the coupling member along its longitudinalaxis. In other embodiments, the gap may be a distance that is between 5%and 75% of a length of the coupling member along its longitudinal axis.The coupling member may further include a mounting portion that isengaged with the base. In some embodiments, the mounting portion of thecoupling member may include a circumferential ridge engaged with acircumferential groove of the base. In other embodiments, the mountingportion of the coupling member may include a circumferential grooveengaged with a circumferential ridge of the base.

Any of the embodiments described above may be used with a toothbrushhead for an electric toothbrush, in which the toothbrush head includes abrush section that has a bristle tray and bristles that extend from thebristle tray. A stem extends from the brush section and defines a cavitytherein one or more mounting ridges on inside wall of the opening. Thecoupling member may be positioned inside the cavity of the stem. Any ofthe embodiments described above may be used with an electric toothbrushhaving a handle and a drive shaft, in which case the stem will extend tothe handle and the drive shaft will be inserted into the couplingmember.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush head with a coupling memberconnected inside of it.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a coupling member.

FIG. 3 is an alternate perspective view of the coupling member of FIG.2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the coupling member of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling member of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an alternate embodiment of a coupling member.FIG. 6C illustrates a variation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6B.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate how a spring may be used with the embodimentof FIGS. 6A and 6B.

FIG. 8 illustrates another alternate embodiment of a coupling member.

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the stem of a toothbrush headwith a coupling member according to the embodiment in FIG. 1 inside ofit.

FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 10B is an exploded view,illustrating how the toothbrush head and its coupling member may attachto a toothbrush handle.

FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C illustrate another alternate embodiment of acoupling member.

FIG. 12A is a top view of the coupling member of FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12B is a side view of the coupling member of FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12C is a bottom view of the coupling member of FIG. 11A.

FIG. 13A is a side cross-sectional view of the coupling member of FIG.11A in a toothbrush head stem.

FIG. 13B is a front cross-sectional view of the coupling member of FIG.11A in a toothbrush head stem.

FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C illustrate another alternate embodiment of acoupling member.

FIG. 15A is a side cross-sectional view of the coupling member of FIG.14A in a toothbrush head stem.

FIG. 15B is a front cross-sectional view of the coupling member of FIG.14A in a toothbrush head stem.

FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 16C illustrate another alternate embodiment of acoupling member.

FIG. 17A is a side cross-sectional view of the coupling member of FIG.16A in a toothbrush head stem.

FIG. 17B is a front cross-sectional view of the coupling member of FIG.14A in a toothbrush head stem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used in this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skillin the art. As used in this document, the term “comprising” (or“comprises”) means “including (or includes), but not limited to.” Whenused in this document, the term “exemplary” is intended to mean “by wayof example” and is not intended to indicate that a particular exemplaryitem is preferred or required.

In this document, when terms such “first” and “second” are used tomodify a noun, such use is simply intended to distinguish one item fromanother, and is not intended to require a sequential order unlessspecifically stated. The term “approximately,” when used in connectionwith a numeric value, is intended to include values that are close to,but not exactly, the number. For example, in some embodiments, the term“approximately” may include values that are within +/−10 percent of thevalue.

In this document, the term “connected”, when referring to two physicalstructures, means that the two physical structures touch each other.Devices that are connected may be secured to each other, or they maysimply touch each other and not be secured.

When used in this document, terms such as “top” and “bottom,” “upper”and “lower”, or “front” and “rear,” are not intended to have absoluteorientations but are instead intended to describe relative positions ofvarious components with respect to each other. For example, a firstcomponent may be an “upper” component and a second component may be a“lower” component when a device of which the components are a part isoriented in a first direction. The relative orientations of thecomponents may be reversed, or the components may be on the same plane,if the orientation of the structure that contains the components ischanged. The claims are intended to include all orientations of a devicecontaining such components.

This disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, methodologiesor protocols described, as these may vary. The terminology used in thisdescription is for the purpose of describing the particular versions orembodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.

In various embodiments, a brush head 10 is couplable to a drive shaft ofan electric toothbrush handle, as shown in FIG. 10A. As shown in FIG. 1,the brush head 10 includes a bristle tray 12 that is a substrate fromwhich multiple attached bristles 16 extend. The brush head 10 also has astem 14, which extends from the bristle tray 12, leading to a base 17that flares outward from the stem. In use, the base will be placed overa drive shaft of an electric toothbrush handle.

The stem 14 and base 17 each have an opening that leads to a channel 15for receiving and mounting a coupling member 18. The coupling member 18is the structure that will receive and attach to the drive shaft of theelectric toothbrush handle.

One configuration for attachment of the coupling member 18 to the stem14 is further described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2-4, whichillustrate various views of a coupling member 18. The coupling member 18has a base 26 and a coupling section 22. The base 26 has an opening 27for receiving the drive shaft of an electric toothbrush handle. Theopening 27 is at one end (which may be referred to as a bottom end) ofthe base 26. The opposite end (which may be referred to as a top) of thebase 26 is the end from which the coupling section 22 extends. The topend of the base 26 has a diameter that is narrower than the diameter ofthe opening 27 so that the body flares outward as the distance from ahandle coupling section 22 increases. The base 26 has one or moremounting holes 28 a, 28 b that are positioned to engage with one or moremounting ridges (54 in FIG. 9) of the stem so that the coupling member18 can be mounted to the stem. Optionally, the mounting holes 28 a, 28 bmay be positioned directly opposite (i.e., approximately 180° away from)each other on the body as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The coupling section 22 has a generally cylindrical sidewall 24 thatsurrounds a cavity 34 that will receive the drive shaft of the electrictoothbrush. Optionally, the sidewall 24 may be closed so that no openingexists from the outside of the coupling section 22 to the interiorcoupling section 22. Alternatively, the coupling section 22 may includean opening (as shown with coupling section 222 of FIG. 8 which will bedescribed in more detail below). In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4,the coupling section 22 may include a longitudinal ridge 46 on anoutside surface of the sidewall 24 with an opening inside of it forreceiving the tip of the drive shaft. The longitudinal ridge 46 ispositioned and sized to engage with a longitudinal channel inside thestem (shown as 64 in FIG. 10A). A relatively narrow segment 46 a of thelongitudinal ridge will engage the longitudinal channel, and an optionalrelatively wide segment 46 b (i.e., relatively wider than the narrowsegment 46 a) may serve as a stop and limit the distance of travel ofthe longitudinal ridge 46 into the longitudinal channel 64. Thisengagement between the longitudinal ridge 46 and the longitudinalchannel 64 inside the stem prevents the coupling member from rotationalmovement about the axis of the stem. It further provides a guide tofacilitate the insertion of the coupling member into the stem.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal ridge 46 may alsoextend longitudinally from the base 26 along outside surface of thesidewall 24 of the handle coupling section 22 of the coupling member tofurther enhance the engagement between the coupling member 18 and thestem and prevent rotational movement or twisting of the coupling memberrelative to the stem.

In the illustrated embodiment, the size and shape of the cross-sectionof the coupling section 22 may correspond to the size and shape of thestem 14 of the brush head 10, for example, at about ⅛ inch in diametermeasured from outside, with a length about ½ inch. The base 26 mayextend from the coupling section and flare outward to the opening 27 toform a semi-conical shape. The opening 27 may be of various sizes, forexample, at ½ inch in diameter as measured from outside at its widestpoint.

In various embodiments, multiple engagements between various parts mayadditionally facilitate the tight coupling between the brush head andthe coupling member. For example, in FIGS. 2-4, the coupling member 18may have one or more mounting blocks 33 extending from outside the base26 and that are positioned to engage with one or more mountingreceptacles 56 inside the channel 15 of the stem 14 (see FIG. 9). Thisengagement between each mounting block 33 and its corresponding mountingreceptacles 56 (in FIG. 9) will further lock the coupling member intoposition to prevent the coupling member from being pushed in or rotatingabout the axis of the stem.

Alternatively, and/or additionally, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, the couplingsection 22 may end with a tip 30 that has a diameter that is smallerthan that of the sidewall 24. The tip 30 meets the sidewall 24 at aledge 31. The tip 30 and ledge 31 further facilitate the coupling of thecoupling section 22 and the stem 14, and the ledge 30 serves as a stopto limit the distance of travel of the coupling member 22 into the stem14.

Alternatively, and/or additionally, the coupling member 18 may have anengagement means for further coupling the brush head to the drive shaftof the toothbrush handle. As shown in the coupling member'scross-sectional view of FIG. 5, this engagement means may include a gear40 that extends inward into a cavity 34 from the sidewall 24 and ispositioned to touch the drive shaft when the drive shaft is insertedinto the cavity 34 of the coupling section 22. The gear 40 is referredto as a gear because, as shown in FIG. 5, the gear 40 includes multipleteeth (i.e., bumps or other raised areas) that extend inward from thesidewall 24 along the longitudinal axis of the cavity 34. The teeth ofthe gear 40, when touching the drive shaft, provide friction that helpsto retain drive shaft of the electric toothbrush handle in place duringoperation. The teeth may be positioned in any location on the interiorsidewall. FIGS. 4 and 5 show that the gear 40 may be positioned along aninterior portion of sidewall 24 in a location that corresponds to thatof an indentation 39 to further increase engagement of the gear 40 withthe drive shaft. The teeth may be soft and/or resilient, to provide aspring function that allows the drive shaft to vibrate when the teethare positioned against the drive shaft. For example, the teeth may beformed of a soft plastic such as a low density polyethylene (LDPE),rubber, or other soft yet strong material. The entire coupling membermay be made of such material, or the teeth and other components of thecoupling member may be made of different materials.

FIGS. 6A-6B and 7A-7B illustrate an alternate embodiment of a couplingmember 118 that is similar in structure to that of FIGS. 2-4, with abase 126 and a coupling section 122 having a cylindrical sidewall 124.However, unlike the sidewall 24 of FIGS. 2-4, in FIGS. 6A-6B and 7A-7Bsidewall 124 includes one or more apertures 114 a that provide anopening that leads to the central cavity that receives the drive shaftof the electric toothbrush. As shown in FIG. 7A, a resilient spring 191may be inserted into the aperture 114 a and touch the drive shaft tohelp provide stability and transfer vibration to the stem of thetoothbrush head. Alternatively, resilient spring 191 may be insertedinto the other aperture 114 b and touch the drive shaft to help providestability and transfer vibration to the stem of the toothbrush head. Thespring 191 as shown may be U-shaped, with a flat or curved base fromwhich two sides extend. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view showing thespring 191 as it may be inserted into the cavity 134 within the sidewall124. The aperture locations and sizes shown in FIG. 6B are by way ofexample, and this embodiment is not limited to the specific apertureshape and size shown. For example, as shown in FIG. 6C, instead of asingle aperture 114 b along the side may include two or more apertures114 c, 114 e separated by a spacer 115 that forms part of the sidewallThe spacer may serve to hold the drive shaft in place and may optionallyhave teeth as described above, while the apertures 114 a, 114 c, 114 eprovide some room for movement of the drive shaft.

The spring 191 may be formed of a thin strip of metal or another strongyet resilient material. The spring 191 may be sized to extend into thecavity so that the flat or curved base, and the two sides that extendfrom the base, will be positioned around the drive shaft so that some orall of the spring's sides touch the drive shaft. The two sides thatextend from the base of the spring 191 will be flush with or extend onlyslightly beyond the aperture 114 a (or 114 b) of the sidewall 124 intowhich it is inserted. The base of the spring 191 will have dimensionsthat are equal to or slightly smaller than that of the aperture. Thesides of the spring 191 may flare slightly outward so that the maximumdistance between the sides is slightly larger than a corresponding sizeof the aperture 114 when the spring 191 is in a relaxed position. Thespring 191 may thus be squeezed to be inserted into the aperture andrelaxed to be held in place by a friction fit at the aperture 114 a (or114 b).

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a coupling member 218 suchas that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,827,079, the disclosure of which isincorporated into this document by reference. As shown in FIG. 8, thecoupling member 218 has a base 226, which has an opening 227 forreceiving a drive shaft of the electric toothbrush handle. The base 226may have one or more mounting holes 228 that are positioned to engagewith one or more mounting ridges of the stem so that the coupling membercan be mounted to the stem. The coupling member 218 also may have one ormore mounting blocks 230 extending from outside the base 226 and thatare positioned to engage with one or more mounting receptacles insidethe opening of the stem.

The coupling member 218 also has a coupling section 222, which has asidewall 224 with a cavity 234 inside of it. The sidewall 224 has atleast two longitudinal slits 236 that form a resilient wall 238 inbetween. The resilient spring member 238 is positioned to touch thedrive shaft of the electric toothbrush handle when the drive shaft isinserted into the cavity 234 inside the sidewall 234 and exert a returnforce inward towards the drive shaft to achieve a tight coupling withthe drive shaft. The resilient spring member 238 may extend all the waydown to and touch the base 226 as shown, or an opening may exist betweenthe resilient spring member 238 and the base 226 so that the twolongitudinal slits 236 and an opening between the resilient springmember 238 and the base 226 form a U-shape.

Alternatively, and/or additionally, the coupling member 218 of FIG. 8may have an engagement means for further coupling the brush head to thedrive shaft of the toothbrush handle. This engagement means may includea raised portion 240 that extends inward from the resilient wall 238 andis positioned to touch the drive shaft when the drive shaft is insertedinto the cavity 234 of the coupling section 222. The raised portion 240,when touching the drive shaft, will also raise the resilient wall 238outward, thus to increase the inward returning force of the resilientwall 238, whereby a tighter coupling between the coupling member and thedrive shaft of the electric toothbrush handle can be achieved.

Further, the interior wall of the resilient spring member 238 mayinclude teeth that serve as a gear, as with gear 40 of FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 9, the channel 15 of the stem 14 may open at a baseplatform 50. FIG. 1 illustrates that the opening 27 of the base 26 ofthe coupling member 18 may also have a base platform 29 that ispositioned to be flush with, or slightly offset within the stem from,the base platform 50 of the stem 14 when the coupling member and thestem are fully engaged.

FIG. 10A is a cross sectional assembled view, and FIG. 10B is anexploded view, each that together illustrate that the stem 14 of thebrush head 10 includes a channel 15 for receiving the coupling section22, which in turn has a cavity 34 for receiving the drive shaft 91 ofthe toothbrush handle 90. The coupling section 22 is inserted into thechannel 15 at the base 17 of the brush head 10. Although theillustration in FIGS. 10A-10B shows the coupling section 22 of FIGS.2-4, any of the coupling member embodiments described in this documentmay be used in the configuration shown in FIGS. 10A-10B.

FIGS. 11A-11C and 12A-12C illustrate another example embodiment of acoupling member 1100. The coupling member 1100 can have a couplingsection 1104, which has a sidewall 1106 with a cavity 1108 inside of it.The sidewall 1106 has at least two longitudinal slits 1110 that form aresilient wall or spring member 1112 in between (FIG. 13A shows bothslits 1110, one on either side of resilient wall 1112). The resilientspring member 1112 is positioned to touch the drive shaft of theelectric toothbrush handle when the drive shaft is inserted into thecavity 1108 inside the sidewall 1106 and exert a return force inwardtowards the drive shaft to achieve a tight coupling with the driveshaft. The resilient spring member 1112 may extend all the way down toand touch the base 1102 as shown, or an opening may exist between theresilient spring member 1112 and the base 1102 so that the twolongitudinal slits 1110 and an opening between the resilient springmember 1112 and the base 1102 form a U-shape. In other embodiments, theresilient spring member 1112 may extend from the base 1102 towards topface 1116 and be free at the end closest to top face 1116.

Coupling member 1100 can also include an indexing portion 1118. Indexingportion 1118 can be a ridge (as depicted in the FIGS. 11A, 12A) or adepression. Indexing portion 1118 can engage with corresponding featurewithin a brush head to ensure a certain orientation of the couplingmember 1100 with respect to the brush head. If indexing portion 1118 isa ridge, the corresponding portion in the brush head will be adepression. If indexing portion 1118 is a depression, the correspondingportion within the brush head with a be a ridge. Similarly, couplingmember 1100 may include a void 1120 near or extending from the top face1116 to provide additional indexing.

Alternatively, and/or additionally, the coupling member 1100 of FIGS.11A-11C and 12A-12C may have an engagement means for further couplingthe brush head to the drive shaft of the toothbrush handle. Thisengagement means may include a raised portion 1114 that extends inwardfrom the resilient wall 1112 and is positioned to touch the drive shaftwhen the drive shaft is inserted into the cavity 1126 of the couplingsection 1104. The raised portion 1114, when touching the drive shaft,will also raise the resilient wall 1112 outward, thus to increase theinward returning force of the resilient wall 1112, whereby a tightercoupling between the coupling member and the drive shaft of the electrictoothbrush handle can be achieved.

Coupling member 1100 can have a base 1102, which has an opening 1122 forreceiving a drive shaft of the electric toothbrush handle. The base 1102may include a mounting portion 1126 positioned to engage with acorresponding mounting portion of the stem so that the coupling membercan be mounted within the stem. For example, as shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B,and 12B, the mounting portion 1126 can be a circumferential ridge aroundan outside portion of base 1102. The circumferential ridge can engagewith a corresponding circumferential depression in the brush head stem.When the coupling member 1100 is pushed into the brush head stem, theridge can seat in the stem depression and hold the coupling member 1100in place within the stem. As used here, the term “circumferential” doesnot necessarily require that the ridge/depression extend around theentire circumference. Other variations of mounting portion 1126 are alsopossible. For example, instead of being a continuous circumferentialridge, mounting portion 1126 could be one or more projections partiallyextending around base 1102. The projections can be spacedcircumferentially around base 1102 and engage with a circumferentialdepression or depressions brush head stem.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate cross-sectional views of a stem 1300 withan installed coupling member 1100 inside. In the embodiment shown,coupling member 1100 is that shown in FIGS. 11A-12C. However, othercoupling member embodiments of this disclosure also can be inserted inthe arrangements of FIGS. 13A-13B, including but not limited to theembodiments of FIGS. 1-4, FIGS. 6A-7B, and FIG. 8. Coupling member 1100can be placed inside stem 1300 and held in place by mounting portion1126 being engaged with corresponding stem receiving portion 1308. Asillustrated by FIGS. 13A and 13B, bottom face 1124 of the couplingmember 1300 and bottom face 1304 may be separated by a gap or spacehaving a distance X. Distance X can be a variety of lengths, forexample, about 10% of the length of coupling member 1100 or more, about20% of the length of coupling member 1100 or more, about 30% of thelength of coupling member 1100 or more, about 40% of the length ofcoupling member 1100 or more, about 50% of the length of coupling member1100 or more, or about 60% of the length of coupling member 1100 ormore. As another example, the distance X can be between about 5 to 75%of the length of coupling member 1100, about 10 to 75% of the length ofcoupling member 1100, about 25 to 75% of the length of coupling member1100, about 25 to 50% of the length of coupling member 1100, or about50% of the length of coupling member 1100. Here, the length of couplingmember 1100 is defined as the distance between top face 1116 and bottomface 1122 of coupling member 1100, along its longitudinal axis.

Implementation of such internal containment of the coupling member 1100in the brush stem 1300 can permit smaller coupling members. Anotheradvantage is that coupling members can be preinstalled before sale ofthe brush heads, making end-user installation on the brush handle muchsimpler. Instead of having two pieces to install (a brush head with astem and an external coupling member, the user can simply place thebrush head (with installed internal coupling member) onto the brushhandle and drive shaft.

FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C illustrate another example embodiment of acoupling member 1400. The coupling member 1400 can have a couplingsection 1404, which has a sidewall 1406 with a cavity 1408 inside of it.The sidewall 1406 has apertures 1410, 1412 that can form a resilientwall or spring member 1414 in between. The resilient spring member 1414is positioned to touch the drive shaft of the electric toothbrush handlewhen the drive shaft is inserted into the cavity 1408 inside thesidewall 1406 and exert a return force inward towards the drive shaft toachieve a tight coupling with the drive shaft. The resilient springmember 1414 may extend all the way down to and touch the base 1402 asshown, or an opening may exist between the resilient spring member 1414and the base 1402. In other embodiments, the resilient spring member1414 may extend from the base 1402 towards top face 1416 and be free atthe end closest to top face 1416. In some embodiments, apertures 1410 or1412 may be configured to receive a resilient spring. The resilientspring may be inserted into the aperture 1410 or 1412 and touch thedrive shaft to help provide stability and transfer vibration to the stemof the toothbrush head.

Coupling member 1400 can also include an indexing portion 1418. Indexingportion 1418 can be a ridge (as depicted in FIGS. 14A-14C) or adepression. Indexing portion 1418 can engage with corresponding featurewithin a brush head to ensure a certain orientation of the couplingmember 1400 with respect to the brush head. If indexing portion 1418 isa ridge, the corresponding portion in the brush head will be adepression. If indexing portion 1418 is a depression, the correspondingportion within the brush head with a be a ridge. In some embodiments,indexing portion 1418 may include a reduced or cutout portion 1420, forexample, to reduce weight and material use, while maintaining thestiffness of the coupling section 1404. Additionally, coupling member1400 may include a void or notch 1420 near or extending from the top ofcoupling section 1404 to provide an indexing point with the stem. As anexample, the interior of the stem may have a corresponding interiorprotrusion to engage with void or notch 1420.

Alternatively, and/or additionally, the coupling member 1400 of FIGS.14A, 14B may have an engagement means for further coupling the brushhead to the drive shaft of the toothbrush handle. This engagement meansmay include one or more raised portions 1424 that extend inward from theresilient wall 1414 and are positioned to touch the drive shaft when thedrive shaft is inserted into the cavity 1408 of the coupling section1404. Raised portion 1424 can include a plurality of teeth or otherprojections extending from resilient wall 1414 into cavity 1408. Theplurality of teeth can be spaced longitudinally along resilient wall1414. Such longitudinal spacing can permit each of the plurality ofteeth to contact the driveshaft. The raised portion 1424, when touchingthe drive shaft, will also raise the resilient wall 1414 outward, thusto increase the inward returning force of the resilient wall 1414,whereby a tighter coupling between the coupling member and the driveshaft of the electric toothbrush handle can be achieved. In someembodiments, resilient wall 1414 can include an indentation ordepression 1430 on its exterior surface. Indentation 1430 may facilitateflexing of the resilient wall when the drive shaft is inserted. In someembodiments, the interior of the stem can include a ridge or otherprojection corresponding to the indentation 1430 to increase pressure onthe depression and thereby cause tighter coupling between the couplingmember and the drive shaft.

Coupling member 1400 can have a base 1402, which has an opening 1426 forreceiving a drive shaft of the electric toothbrush handle. The base 1402may include a mounting portion 1428 positioned to engage with acorresponding mounting portion of the stem so that the coupling membercan be mounted within the stem. For example, as shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B,and 12B, the mounting portion 1428 can be a circumferential groovearound an outside portion of base 1402. The circumferential groove canengage with a corresponding circumferential ridge or ridges in the brushhead stem. When the coupling member 1400 is pushed into the brush headstem, the ridge can seat in the stem depression and hold the couplingmember 1400 in place within the stem.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate cross-sectional views of a stem 1500 withan installed coupling member 1400 inside. Coupling member 1400 can beplaced inside stem 1500 and held in place by mounting portion 1428 beingengaged with corresponding stem receiving portion 1508. In thisillustration, mounting portion 1428 is a circumferential groove and stemreceiving portion 1508 is a circumferential ridge around the interior ofthe stem. FIG. 15A also illustrates that ridge(s) 1424 can be disposedon an interior portion of the cylindrical sidewall 1406 adjacent todepression 1430. In other words, ridge(s) 1424 may be approximately onthe opposite side of sidewall 1406 from depression 1430.

As illustrated by FIGS. 15A and 15B, bottom face 1430 of the couplingmember 1400 and bottom face 1504 may be separated by a distance Y.Distance Y can be a variety of lengths, for example, about 10% of thelength of coupling member 1400 or more, 20% of the length of couplingmember 1400 or more, 30% of the length of coupling member 1400 or more,40% of the length of coupling member 1400 or more, 50% of the length ofcoupling member 1400 or more, or 60% of the length of coupling member1400 or more. Here, the length of coupling member 1400 is defined as thedistance between top face 1416 and bottom face 1430 of coupling member1400.

FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 16C illustrate another exemplary embodiment of acoupling member 1600. The coupling member 1600 has a base 1602 and acoupling section 1603. The base 1602 has an opening 1619 for receivingthe drive shaft of an electric toothbrush handle. The opening 1619 is atone end (which may be referred to as a bottom end) of the base 1602 (atbottom face 1620 of coupling member 1600). The opposite end (which maybe referred to as a top) of the base 1602 is the end from which thecoupling section 1603 extends. The top end of the base 1602 has adiameter that is narrower than the diameter of the opening 1619 so thatthe body flares outward as the distance from a handle coupling section1603 increases. The base 1602 has a mounting portion 1616 extendingcircumferentially around the base 1602. The mounting portion 1616 can bepositioned to engage with a receiving portion of the stem so that thecoupling member 1600 can be mounted inside the stem. For example, asshown in FIGS. 16A-C, the mounting portion 1616 can be a circumferentialgroove around an outside portion of base 1602. The circumferentialgroove can engage with a corresponding circumferential ridge or ridgesin the brush head stem. A When the coupling member 1600 is pushed intothe brush head stem, the ridge can seat in the stem depression and holdthe coupling member 1600 in place within the stem. As another example,the mounting portion 1616 could be a circumferential ridge around base1602, as is depicted in FIG. 17, which engages with a correspondingcircumferential groove 1706 in the interior side wall of the stem 1700.

The coupling section 1603 has a generally cylindrical sidewall 1604 thatsurrounds a cavity 1618 that will receive the drive shaft of theelectric toothbrush. Optionally, the sidewall 1604 may be closed so thatno opening exists from the outside of the coupling section 1603 to theinterior of coupling section 1603. Alternatively, the coupling section1603 may include an opening (for example, as shown with coupling section1404 of FIG. 14). The coupling section 1603 may include a longitudinalridge 1610 on an outside surface of the sidewall 1604 with an openinginside of it for receiving the tip of the drive shaft. The longitudinalridge 1610 is positioned and sized to engage with a longitudinal channelinside the stem (e.g., shown as 64 in FIG. 10A or 1708 in FIG. 17). Arelatively narrow segment 1610 of the longitudinal ridge will engage thelongitudinal channel, and an optional relatively wide segment 1614(i.e., relatively wider than the narrow segment 1610) may serve as astop and limit the distance of travel of the longitudinal ridge 1610into the longitudinal channel of the stem. This engagement between thelongitudinal ridge 1610 and the longitudinal channel inside the stemprevents the coupling member from rotational movement about the axis ofthe stem. In some embodiments, longitudinal ridge 1610 could be adepression or channel and the longitudinal channel inside the stem couldbe a ridge. It further provides a guide to facilitate the insertion ofthe coupling member into the stem.

In the illustrated embodiment, the size and shape of the cross-sectionof the coupling member 1600 may correspond to the size and shape of thestem of the brush head. For example, the coupling member 1600 can bedimensioned to fit within the stem. As illustrated by FIG. 17, theinterior of the stem may have varying diameter to match the sizevariation of different portions of the coupling member 1600 (e.g., itmay include a narrow channel at the top to receive coupling section 1603and flare out to a larger opening towards the bottom to receive the base1602.

Alternatively, and/or additionally, as shown in FIGS. 16A-C, thecoupling section 1603 may end with a tip 1608 that has a diameter thatis smaller than that of the sidewall 1604. The tip 1608 meets thesidewall 1604 at a ledge 1607. The tip 1608 and ledge 1607 furtherfacilitate the coupling of the coupling section 1603 and the stem, andthe ledge 1607 can serve as a stop to limit the distance of travel ofthe coupling member 1600 into the stem.

Alternatively, and/or additionally, the coupling member 1600, asillustrated in FIG. 17, may have an engagement means for furthercoupling the brush head to the drive shaft of the toothbrush handle.This engagement means may include one or more raised portions 1622 thatextend inward from the resilient wall 1604 and are positioned to touchthe drive shaft when the drive shaft is inserted into the cavity 1618 ofthe coupling section 1603. The raised portion 1622, when touching thedrive shaft, will also raise the resilient wall 1606 outward, thus toincrease the inward returning force of the resilient wall 1606, wherebya tighter coupling between the coupling member and the drive shaft ofthe electric toothbrush handle can be achieved. Resilient wall 1606 caninclude a depression on its exterior surface. The depression can aid inthe flexibility of the resilient wall to permit it to flex and increaseengagement with the drive shaft. In some embodiments, the interior ofthe stem can include a ridge or other projection corresponding to thedepression to increase pressure on the depression and thereby causetighter coupling between the coupling member and the drive shaft.

FIG. 17 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a stem 1700 with aninstalled coupling member 1600 inside. Coupling member 1600 can beplaced inside stem 1700 and held in place by mounting portion 1616 beingengaged with corresponding stem receiving portion 1706. In thisillustration of FIG. 17, mounting portion 1616 is a circumferentialridge and stem receiving portion 1706 is a circumferential groove aroundthe interior of the stem. As illustrated by FIG. 17, bottom face 1620 ofthe coupling member 1600 and bottom face 1704 may be separated by adistance Z. Distance Z can be a variety of lengths, for example, about10% of the length of coupling member 1600 or more, 20% of the length ofcoupling member 1600 or more, 30% of the length of coupling member 1600or more, 40% of the length of coupling member 1600 or more, 50% of thelength of coupling member 1600 or more, or 60% of the length of couplingmember 1600 or more. Here, the length of coupling member 1600 is definedas the distance between top face of tip 1608 and bottom face 1620 ofcoupling member 1600.

The various embodiments disclosed in this patent document provideadvantages over the prior art, whether standalone or combined. Forexample, the resilient wall of the handle coupling section of thecoupling member that is positioned to engage with the drive shaft of theelectric toothbrush handle may be made from the same wall of the handlecoupling section of the coupling member, which requires no metal springor other separate resilient member. This both achieves a tight coupling(because there is no separate part) and reduces the cost of making.Further, multiple engagements of various parts of the stem and thecoupling member all facilitate a tight coupling between the couplingmember and the stem, and thus improve the stability of the brush head asit is operating under the high speed vibrations of the motor inside thehandle.

Further, the toothbrush head may be easy to manufacture as all the partscan be made of plastic or polyester materials. The cone shaped openingof the stem may facilitate easy receiving and coupling of the couplingmember into the stem, and multiple engagement means, such as, thelongitudinal ridge of the coupling member and the correspondinglongitudinal channel in the stem, the mounting channel of the couplingmember and the corresponding ridge block in the stem, the raisedresilient wall of the coupling member and the corresponding couplingchannel in the stem, the mounting block of the coupling member and thecorresponding mounting channel in the stem, the base ring of thecoupling member and the mating sitting platform in the stem, themounting holes of the coupling member and the mounting ridges in thestem, each may facilitate easy sliding and positioning of the couplingmember into the stem and secure mounting of the coupling member to thestem.

Other advantages of the present invention can be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Accordingly, itwill be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes ormodifications may be made to the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It shouldtherefore be understood that this invention is not limited to theparticular embodiments described in this document, but is intended toinclude all changes and modifications that are within the scope andspirit of the invention as defined in the claims.

1. A toothbrush head for an electric toothbrush, the toothbrush headcomprising: a brush section having a plurality of bristles attachedthereon; a base having an opening for receiving a drive shaft of anelectric toothbrush; and a coupling member, wherein the coupling membercomprises a cylindrical sidewall that surrounds a cavity for receivingthe drive shaft; and wherein the coupling member is disposed within thebase and there is a gap between a bottom surface of the base and abottom surface of the coupling member.
 2. The toothbrush head of claim1, wherein the coupling member further comprises a plurality of teethdisposed on an inside surface of the cylindrical sidewall, the teethextending into the cavity along a longitudinal axis of the couplingmember.
 3. The toothbrush head of claim 1, wherein cylindrical sidewallcomprises a ridge extending into the cavity and configured to engagewith the drive shaft when the drive shaft is inserted into the cavity.4. The toothbrush head of claim 3, wherein the ridge extending into thecavity is disposed on a portion of the cylindrical sidewall adjacent toa depression that is on the exterior of the coupling member.
 5. Thetoothbrush head of claim 1, wherein the coupling member does not extendoutside of the base.
 6. The toothbrush head of claim 1, wherein the gapis a distance of at least 10% of a length of the coupling member alongits longitudinal axis.
 7. The toothbrush head of claim 1, wherein thegap is a distance that is between 5% and 75% of a length of the couplingmember along its longitudinal axis.
 8. The toothbrush head of claim 1,wherein the coupling member further comprises a mounting portion and themounting portion is engaged with the base.
 9. The toothbrush head ofclaim 8, wherein: the mounting portion of the coupling member comprisesa circumferential ridge; the base further comprises a circumferentialgroove; and the circumferential ridge is engaged with thecircumferential groove.
 10. The toothbrush head of claim 8, wherein: themounting portion of the coupling member comprises a circumferentialgroove; the base further comprises a circumferential ridge; and thecircumferential ridge is engaged with the circumferential groove.
 11. Atoothbrush head for an electric toothbrush, the toothbrush headcomprising: a base having an opening for receiving a drive shaft of anelectric toothbrush; and a coupling member, wherein the coupling membercomprises a cylindrical sidewall that surrounds a cavity for receivingthe drive shaft, the cylindrical sidewall having at least two aperturestherethrough and a resilient wall between the apertures; and wherein thecoupling member is disposed within the base and there is a gap between abottom surface of the base and a bottom surface of the coupling member.12. The toothbrush head of claim 1, wherein resilient wall comprises aridge extending into the cavity and configured to engage with the driveshaft when the drive shaft is inserted into the cavity.
 13. Thetoothbrush head of claim 11, wherein the coupling member furthercomprises a plurality of teeth disposed on an inside surface of theresilient wall, the teeth extending into the cavity along a longitudinalaxis of the coupling member.
 14. The toothbrush head of claim 11,wherein the coupling member does not extend outside of the base.
 15. Thetoothbrush head of claim 11, further comprising a spring that ispositioned to, when in operation, transfer vibration from the driveshaft to the toothbrush head while being held by the at least oneaperture.
 16. The toothbrush head of claim 15, where the spring ispositioned within at least one of the apertures.
 17. The toothbrush headof claim 11, wherein the gap is a distance that is between 5% and 75% ofa length of the coupling member along its longitudinal axis.
 18. Thetoothbrush head of claim 11, wherein the coupling member furthercomprises a mounting portion and the mounting portion is engaged withthe base.
 19. The toothbrush head of claim 18, wherein: the mountingportion of the coupling member comprises a circumferential ridge; thebase further comprises a circumferential groove; and the circumferentialridge is engaged with the circumferential groove.
 20. The toothbrushhead of claim 18, wherein: the mounting portion of the coupling membercomprises a circumferential groove; the base further comprises acircumferential ridge; and the circumferential ridge is engaged with thecircumferential groove.